Thanks for the NFL jerseys avalanche of responses from all corners of our great country.
Patrick Mayberry from Cochrane, AB, asks: What do you think is going to happen at shortstop with Marco Scutaro a free agent this off-season after putting together some pretty impressive numbers? If they rebuild and fill that position from within, is there anyone on the horizon who could step in?
CARSON: There are a couple of routes they could go. Re-sign Scutaro for no more than two years at around $4.5 million per and hope that 2009 was not just a player having a great season in a contract year. If he leaves for greener pastures, they have no shortstop in the minors on the verge of breaking through. The fall-back could be old, reliable, fan favourite John McDonald, who is also a free agent. With the team not being close to contending, I would have no problem with them finally going with Johnny Mac, batting him ninth and letting his spectacular defence speak for itself.
James Barber from Barrie, ON, asks: Who is going to be the closer next season?
CARSON: I have no problem with the job that Jason Frasor did this season after B.J. Ryan was sent packing and Scott Downs couldn’t stay healthy. Frasor has never seemed to be afraid to pitch in the ninth, although I sure wish he’d pick up his pace. Downs is best suited in the eighth inning set-up role. And although he’s so frustratingly inconsistent, I’d like to see Brandon League get some action with the game on the line from time to time. His stuff is still the nastiest of any of the Jays’ relievers.
Phillip Dyck from Winnipeg, MB, asks: Why do you think the Jays batters have been hit so many times recently compared to the other teams? What I don't understand is why don't the Jays pitchers do the same?
CARSON: You are clearly talking about the spate of games over the last month where Blue Jays batters were used for target practice, getting drilled on a nightly basis. It was nice to see that they finally responded with Jesse Carlson whistling a pitch behind Jorge Posada’s back, leading to a brawl in the Bronx, and Wednesday night at Fenway Park when Roy Halladay exacted revenge on David Ortiz after Adam Lind was hit on the elbow the night before by Jonathan Papelbon after Lind had hit three home runs. I think it’s a respect thing why the Jays have been getting hit so much. Before the two aforementioned responses by the Jays, opponents seemed to be able to throw at the Jays at will with little chance of retribution. Those days appear to be over.
I’ve culled through them all and decided on the top 10. Here they are.
Brandon Collins from Kingston, ON, asks: Do you think next year, if Vernon Wells continues to struggle, we could see Wells start around sixth or seventh in the lineup and not torture Jays’ fans while battling cleanup?
CARSON: The plan for 2009, as I hear it, would see both Aaron Hill and Adam Lind dropped down one spot in the order to fourth and fifth which, based on their outstanding seasons, makes perfect sense. Wells’ lost season was one of the reasons the Jays’ offence sputtered through the middle months. The power that Randy Ruiz showed makes him the perfect, cheap, choice at DH and I’m hoping that they are going to bring in another power bat, hopefully left-handed, to join the mix. As I see it, with his current production waning, Wells is best suited to hit seventh.
Mackenzie McCreight from Winnipeg, MB, asks: If Cito is gone next year, how do you think Aaron Hill and Adam Lind will perform? It seems pretty clear to me that he has had a tremendous influence on these guys.
Bones from Vancouver, BC, asks: How would you feel about moving the Jays Triple-A team to Vancouver?
CARSON: I would have no problem with the Jays placing their Triple-A team in Vancouver or any Canadian city. From a public relations standpoint, it would certainly make sense to spread the brand across the country. The unfortunate thing is the travel for players that get called up. That’s the downside of having the current team in Las Vegas, in terms of time and cost. Believe me cost always comes into play with this franchise. The obvious choice would be to have their top minor league team in Ottawa, which has a top-notch stadium and is just an hour away by plane with hourly flights.
Chris Klassen from Vancouver, BC, asks: Where does Randy Ruiz fit on the 2010 Toronto Blue Jays?
CARSON: I don’t see any reason why Ruiz would not be the everyday DH in 2009. Unless ownership significantly upgrades the payroll allowing them to bring in a veteran, big-money bat, then Ruiz, making a Major League minimum of $400,000, is a cost-effective alternative allowing them to spend funds on other holes. And why not? Ruiz has hit nine home runs in 30 games since winning the Pacific Coast League MVP. While he will strike out a lot, it’s not outrageous to think he could also hit 25-30 home runs.
Sharon Douglass from Cornerbrook, NL, asks: After watching Roy Halladay finish so strong this season, I’m hoping that they’ll be able to sign him to a contract extension and he’ll finish his career as Jay. What have you heard?
CARSON: A lot of things have to happen before addressing Halladay as he enters his final contract year with the Jays. First and foremost, the president/GM issue has to be resolved and the sooner (Monday?) the better. If ownership ups the payroll and they can surround him with proven free agents with an eye on going for it in 2010, then they keep Doc and worry about his coming free agency after next season. But if the payroll stays the same, I don’t see how they can keep him and just get two draft picks in 2011 for the greatest pitcher ever developed by this franchise. If they do decide to trade him, I’m hoping it’s outside of the AL East so that he won’t come back to haunt them six times a season.
Matt Danko from Calgary AB, asks: If J.P. Ricciardi is fired this off-season and by some strange chance you get hired as the new G.M., what would you do to this club in the off-season to make this team better?
CARSON: Were you the guy that was holding up a ‘SCOTT CARSON FOR G.M.’ sign at the Metrodome a couple of years back? If so, thanks! No, seriously, there is a litany of things I’d do, the first being going to Rogers, hat in hand, for a payroll boost to compete with the big boys. I would surround myself with the top scouts in the game and get this franchise back to going about things the ‘Blue Jay Way’ using the same blueprint that Pat Gillick did when turned the Jays into the model franchise from 1985-1993. Then it would be a contract extension for Halladay. And I would bring speed and switch-hitters back into the offensive equation, something that has been lacking in recent years. Oh, and I’d change the uniform back to the retro look that most Jays fans grew up with.
Gord Armstrong from Toronto, ON, asks: When do you think I will be able to purchase playoff tickets again?
CARSON: Keep putting your loonies and toonies in the jar and be patient. I know that sounds hollow with the fans’ patience being at an all-time low, but this team is still at least three years away from contending unless they can find the money to bring in outside talent. Sure they have developed several players/pitchers that are forming the nucleus of a good team, but they have yet to draft and develop the type of difference-makers that playoff teams need. The big decisions that will be made this off-season will go a long way to setting the direction of a franchise at the crossroads.
CARSON: That’s a very interesting question. We all assumed that Cito would be back next year, but with the front office picture so cloudy and recent revelations that he’s “lost the team,” that’s no longer a slam dunk. A new team president would likely bring in a new general manager who might bring in his own manager. As for Lind and Hill, I think Cito and hitting guru Gene Tenace had more of an influence on Lind than Hill. Lind was never too far from the veteran hitting minds and his breakout season is a testament to putting lessons into action. As for Hill, I think it was more a matter of him bouncing back from the lost concussion season of 2008 and finally putting it together. Either way, both these young hitters were the two brightest lights this season.
Thanks again for all the questions. We’ll try and do this again after the New Year as the Jays head toward spring training 2010.
2010年5月15日星期六
2010年5月14日星期五
The Need for Speed
Who hold the NBA Jerseys Blue Jays record for most stolen bases in a season?
Now, I'm thinking that most of you are Googling this furiously, but I'll save you the work. It was Dave Collins, or "Doc" as Rance Mulliniks usually refers to him, who swiped 60 bases way back in 1984 before a good chunk of you were even a twinkle in your parents' eyes. Since then, only Roberto Alomar (55 in 1993), Otis Nixon (54 in '96) and Shannon Stewart (51 in '98) have hit the half century mark.
Looking back at Blue Jays playoff teams of seasons past, speed was always part of the equation. A look at their five postseason appearances seasons tells us as much:
For whatever reason, the stolen base has gone the way of the Dodo bird down at One Blue Jays Way. Quite frankly, I'm not sure why. Back in the day, the Blue Jays were annually among, the top running teams in the game. Taking the extra base led to tack-on runs and a lot of wins. Some might argue that the recent lack of running should fall at the feet of manager Cito Gaston who, at first glance, would appear to be a 'sit back and wait for the 3-run bomb' style of skipper. But as the table shows above, four of the five playoff seasons had Gaston at the helm and there's no denying that they ran a whole bunch.
Of the returning players, Vernon Wells had the most steals with 17. After that, everyone else was in the single digits. Infielder Mike McCoy, an off-season waiver claim from the Rockies, was 40 for 46 last season with Colorado Spings (AAA) but will likely spend his season with Las Vegas (AAA) as injury insurance for Alex Gonzalez and John McDonald. Joey Gathright, in camp as a non-roster invitee, is the only real threat - he's had 20 or more steals in three of his six Major League seasons despite playing part-time. But he's a long shot to break camp with the club.
I've always been a firm believer in team speed because it rarely goes into a slump. And with the way Toronto's offence has, at times, sleepwalked its way into slumps over most of the last decade, here's hoping that deficiency is filled in the not-too-distant future. There's nothing wrong with taking the game to your opponent, especially when not a lot of people are expecting this team to win in the first place.
At least it might make games more exciting.
The end of the Jays' running ways coincided with the arrival of former general manager J.P. Ricciardi and the myopic offensive approach that was drilled into his head during his years under Billy Beane in Oakland. While Ricciardi's first order of business in Toronto was to shed payroll, he also turned a team with above-average speed into a team that worked the count and waited for the big bomb. The strategy never panned out and, when the power dried up, which it did three or four times a seasons, the Jays couldn't score. That was never more apparent than last season where Toronto finished second last in the A.L. to the Tigers in bags swiped. The words 'manufactured runs' and 'Blue Jays' were rarely written in the same sentence.
So where does that leave the 2010 edition of the Jays? Well, because of the base to base approach preached over the last eight years, it's not like Ricciardi and his people were drafting a bunch of athletes with speed, so there are no real burners at any level. A quick glance through the Jays' minor league system reveals just one name of any significance, outfielder Darin Mastroianni, who stole 70 bases in 85 attempts between Dunedin (A) and New Hampshire (AA). But his one home run in over 540 plate appearances and the fact that his name is not mentioned on any scouting service as a top prospect tells me this is likely the last time you'll read his name.
Now, I'm thinking that most of you are Googling this furiously, but I'll save you the work. It was Dave Collins, or "Doc" as Rance Mulliniks usually refers to him, who swiped 60 bases way back in 1984 before a good chunk of you were even a twinkle in your parents' eyes. Since then, only Roberto Alomar (55 in 1993), Otis Nixon (54 in '96) and Shannon Stewart (51 in '98) have hit the half century mark.
Looking back at Blue Jays playoff teams of seasons past, speed was always part of the equation. A look at their five postseason appearances seasons tells us as much:
For whatever reason, the stolen base has gone the way of the Dodo bird down at One Blue Jays Way. Quite frankly, I'm not sure why. Back in the day, the Blue Jays were annually among, the top running teams in the game. Taking the extra base led to tack-on runs and a lot of wins. Some might argue that the recent lack of running should fall at the feet of manager Cito Gaston who, at first glance, would appear to be a 'sit back and wait for the 3-run bomb' style of skipper. But as the table shows above, four of the five playoff seasons had Gaston at the helm and there's no denying that they ran a whole bunch.
Of the returning players, Vernon Wells had the most steals with 17. After that, everyone else was in the single digits. Infielder Mike McCoy, an off-season waiver claim from the Rockies, was 40 for 46 last season with Colorado Spings (AAA) but will likely spend his season with Las Vegas (AAA) as injury insurance for Alex Gonzalez and John McDonald. Joey Gathright, in camp as a non-roster invitee, is the only real threat - he's had 20 or more steals in three of his six Major League seasons despite playing part-time. But he's a long shot to break camp with the club.
I've always been a firm believer in team speed because it rarely goes into a slump. And with the way Toronto's offence has, at times, sleepwalked its way into slumps over most of the last decade, here's hoping that deficiency is filled in the not-too-distant future. There's nothing wrong with taking the game to your opponent, especially when not a lot of people are expecting this team to win in the first place.
At least it might make games more exciting.
The end of the Jays' running ways coincided with the arrival of former general manager J.P. Ricciardi and the myopic offensive approach that was drilled into his head during his years under Billy Beane in Oakland. While Ricciardi's first order of business in Toronto was to shed payroll, he also turned a team with above-average speed into a team that worked the count and waited for the big bomb. The strategy never panned out and, when the power dried up, which it did three or four times a seasons, the Jays couldn't score. That was never more apparent than last season where Toronto finished second last in the A.L. to the Tigers in bags swiped. The words 'manufactured runs' and 'Blue Jays' were rarely written in the same sentence.
So where does that leave the 2010 edition of the Jays? Well, because of the base to base approach preached over the last eight years, it's not like Ricciardi and his people were drafting a bunch of athletes with speed, so there are no real burners at any level. A quick glance through the Jays' minor league system reveals just one name of any significance, outfielder Darin Mastroianni, who stole 70 bases in 85 attempts between Dunedin (A) and New Hampshire (AA). But his one home run in over 540 plate appearances and the fact that his name is not mentioned on any scouting service as a top prospect tells me this is likely the last time you'll read his name.
2010年5月11日星期二
False witness
The Philadelphia Phillies won their NBA Jerseys first World Series in 28 years and I was there to witness it at Citizen's Bank Ballpark.
Okay, I have to admit I'm kind of stretching the truth. I didn't really see the Phillies win the World Series last night.
While Brad Lidge was punching out Eric Hinske to cement their first championship since 1980, I was stuck in a hallway underneath the stadium. I never saw a single play from the 9th inning.
No TVs. No radio. No view of the field. We were placed up against a wall in a long narrow hallway behind home plate. I may as well have been in a parking garage in downtown Philadelphia.
I simply had no idea what was unfolding on the field.
As a result, we had to use the noise from the crowd to figure out what was happening. It was like listening to a baseball game on radio - without the play-by-play guy.
"That sounded like a called strike."
"People are too quiet. The Rays got a hit. But they're not too quiet...so it's probably a single."
"That's a two-out ovation from the crowd for sure."
Fortunately, the stadium shaking above us and the sound of exploding fireworks gave us our first real hint that the Phillies might have won the World Series.
Within 60 seconds of the Phillies winning, we were allowed onto the field and into the commotion so we could get one-on-one interviews.
The person I wanted to avoid was Brad Lidge, even though he capped off a perfect season by converting all 48 save opportunities. I had no idea how he closed out Game 5. The interview could have gone terribly wrong:
Me: "Brad, a terrific job out there. Tell us what it was like in the ninth inning?"
Lidge: "Well, I wouldn't say it was terrific. I gave up two hits and hit a batter."
Me: "Seriously?"
In order to be one of the first people on the field, I had to agree to be placed in a Major League Baseball media holding zone at the end of the 8th inning. In hindsight, it's like agreeing to stay in Guantanamo Bay while the rest of your friends are at Club Med.
Fortunately, I spotted Cole Hamels and was able to coax him into an exclusive interview. Being the Ottawa Senators beat guy doesn't open a lot of doors in the Phillies world, but Hamels was on such an adrenaline rush from winning the World Series that he agreed to the interview as if we had known each other for years.
I got to him so quickly after the game that he hadn't even been notified that he was named World Series MVP. I certainly didn't have that information to pass along to him. I was so out of the loop having emerged from my media dungeon that I would have believed it if someone told me the Phillie Phanatic had been named World Series MVP.
After getting another one-on-one interview with Matt Stairs (which I believe was mandated by the CRTC in order to broadcast the World Series in Canada), I headed over to the third base line to be a live guest with Sean McCormick and Martine Gaillard on the late edition of Connected.
As I was setting up for the interview, I saw an object being thrown right at me from the stands. It's amazing how quickly your brain processes information.
"I'm in Philadelphia and someone is throwing an object at me. It's probably a battery."
I ducked my head out of the way at the last second and avoided being hit with...a piece of bread.
(Fortunately it was a fresh hot dog roll that came my way. If it was a day-old bun, it could have done some serious damage.)
I composed myself from the near-death-by-bun experience to conduct the Q & A with Sean and Martine. At this point, I was freezing cold from being outside in sub-zero temperatures for more than an hour. I was 15 minutes away from developing that Tom Coughlin Face from the NFC Championship Game in Green Bay.
I needed to find someplace warm. I was actually hoping some cars would be set on fire outside to warm things up.
And oh yeah - for the record, I finally witnessed the final out of the World Series on ESPN at 1:07am in my hotel room.
As we headed out of the parking lot after our work was finished, we pretended to be Phillies fans so that we wouldn't get harrassed by the mobs of people running the streets. Occasionally yelling "We finally did it!" or "Utley is a God!" saved us from facing the wrath of the drunken fans. We honked our car horns and just tried to fit in as best as we could as we made it back to our hotel. The mob will never swallow you up if they think you are one of them. (Please shoot me if I ever have to cover a Leafs Stanley Cup victory.)
Okay, I have to admit I'm kind of stretching the truth. I didn't really see the Phillies win the World Series last night.
While Brad Lidge was punching out Eric Hinske to cement their first championship since 1980, I was stuck in a hallway underneath the stadium. I never saw a single play from the 9th inning.
No TVs. No radio. No view of the field. We were placed up against a wall in a long narrow hallway behind home plate. I may as well have been in a parking garage in downtown Philadelphia.
I simply had no idea what was unfolding on the field.
As a result, we had to use the noise from the crowd to figure out what was happening. It was like listening to a baseball game on radio - without the play-by-play guy.
"That sounded like a called strike."
"People are too quiet. The Rays got a hit. But they're not too quiet...so it's probably a single."
"That's a two-out ovation from the crowd for sure."
Fortunately, the stadium shaking above us and the sound of exploding fireworks gave us our first real hint that the Phillies might have won the World Series.
Within 60 seconds of the Phillies winning, we were allowed onto the field and into the commotion so we could get one-on-one interviews.
The person I wanted to avoid was Brad Lidge, even though he capped off a perfect season by converting all 48 save opportunities. I had no idea how he closed out Game 5. The interview could have gone terribly wrong:
Me: "Brad, a terrific job out there. Tell us what it was like in the ninth inning?"
Lidge: "Well, I wouldn't say it was terrific. I gave up two hits and hit a batter."
Me: "Seriously?"
In order to be one of the first people on the field, I had to agree to be placed in a Major League Baseball media holding zone at the end of the 8th inning. In hindsight, it's like agreeing to stay in Guantanamo Bay while the rest of your friends are at Club Med.
Fortunately, I spotted Cole Hamels and was able to coax him into an exclusive interview. Being the Ottawa Senators beat guy doesn't open a lot of doors in the Phillies world, but Hamels was on such an adrenaline rush from winning the World Series that he agreed to the interview as if we had known each other for years.
I got to him so quickly after the game that he hadn't even been notified that he was named World Series MVP. I certainly didn't have that information to pass along to him. I was so out of the loop having emerged from my media dungeon that I would have believed it if someone told me the Phillie Phanatic had been named World Series MVP.
After getting another one-on-one interview with Matt Stairs (which I believe was mandated by the CRTC in order to broadcast the World Series in Canada), I headed over to the third base line to be a live guest with Sean McCormick and Martine Gaillard on the late edition of Connected.
As I was setting up for the interview, I saw an object being thrown right at me from the stands. It's amazing how quickly your brain processes information.
"I'm in Philadelphia and someone is throwing an object at me. It's probably a battery."
I ducked my head out of the way at the last second and avoided being hit with...a piece of bread.
(Fortunately it was a fresh hot dog roll that came my way. If it was a day-old bun, it could have done some serious damage.)
I composed myself from the near-death-by-bun experience to conduct the Q & A with Sean and Martine. At this point, I was freezing cold from being outside in sub-zero temperatures for more than an hour. I was 15 minutes away from developing that Tom Coughlin Face from the NFC Championship Game in Green Bay.
I needed to find someplace warm. I was actually hoping some cars would be set on fire outside to warm things up.
And oh yeah - for the record, I finally witnessed the final out of the World Series on ESPN at 1:07am in my hotel room.
As we headed out of the parking lot after our work was finished, we pretended to be Phillies fans so that we wouldn't get harrassed by the mobs of people running the streets. Occasionally yelling "We finally did it!" or "Utley is a God!" saved us from facing the wrath of the drunken fans. We honked our car horns and just tried to fit in as best as we could as we made it back to our hotel. The mob will never swallow you up if they think you are one of them. (Please shoot me if I ever have to cover a Leafs Stanley Cup victory.)
2010年5月10日星期一
Goalie not needed for Cup glory
Forget the NHL's flashy ad campaign that says "History Will Be Made".
The real slogan for the 2010 playoffs?
"You don't need great goaltending to win the Stanley Cup NHL Jerseys ."
In the past, saying that would have been sacrilegious in hockey circles. Imagine trying to convince someone seven years ago that the Flyers could win the Cup with Roman Cechmanek. You would have been laughed out of the room.
There was a five-year stretch just before the lockout where the list of Stanley Cup-winning goalies read like a "Who's Who" of Hall of Fame netminders:
But in the years since the lockout, the list of goalies to reach the Cup Finals has been more of a "Who's That?"
In fact, in the 2010 playoffs, Marc-Andre Fleury will be the only starting goalie who has actually reached the finals within the last five years.
On Tuesday night in Washington, Brian Elliott's Ottawa Senators beat the Washington Capitals 5-4 in an overtime game that featured offense from stars like Jason Spezza, Alexander Semin and Alex Kovalev.
In his post-game interview with the media Elliott said, "It wasn't my best game. But it shows we are becoming a good team when a goalie doesn't have his A-game and we can still pull out a win."
His comment may as well be posted on the locker room wall of about 15 teams heading into this year's playoffs.
The others have either faded into obscurity (Khabibulin/Emery/Roloson), are playing for a non-playoff team (Kiprusoff/Ward/Giguere) or have been pushed out of their starting job (Osgood).
The lack of a dominant set of goaltenders is exactly why the Capitals and Blackhawks could conceivably meet in a Stanley Cup Finals, pitting former Habs castoffs Jose Theodore against Cristobal Huet. It's the type of matchup that would have Jacques Plante rolling in his grave.
But this is the reality of the new NHL. Almost half the teams will march into the playoffs with goaltenders with ZERO playoff experience under their belt.
And the other goalies with more impressive resumes also come into the 2010 post-season with legitimate question marks. A sampling:
Martin Brodeur: The Devils have lost three playoff series in a row and Brodeur has a 5-12 record in those games.
Roberto Luongo: Despite his gold medal performance, he has never advanced beyond the second round of the NHL playoffs in his career.
Evgeni Nabokov: Posted a .890 save percentage in last year's first-round playoff exit and looked terrible under pressure at Olympics.
Marc-Andre Fleury: Will enter the post-season with rather ordinary numbers during the regular season, including a save percentage that ranks 30th amongst NHL goalies.
About the only goalie who is bullet-proof to criticism is Ryan Miller, who is having an MVP-calibre season and has back-stopped Buffalo to the conference finals in each of his last two playoff appearances.
But here's the funny thing: Ask fans of the Ottawa Senators or Montreal Canadiens about their preferred first-round matchup and almost all of them would choose the Sabres.
The feeling amongst those fans is that Miller is terrific, but over the course of a seven-game series, the Sabres would not be the better team.
The real slogan for the 2010 playoffs?
"You don't need great goaltending to win the Stanley Cup NHL Jerseys ."
In the past, saying that would have been sacrilegious in hockey circles. Imagine trying to convince someone seven years ago that the Flyers could win the Cup with Roman Cechmanek. You would have been laughed out of the room.
There was a five-year stretch just before the lockout where the list of Stanley Cup-winning goalies read like a "Who's Who" of Hall of Fame netminders:
But in the years since the lockout, the list of goalies to reach the Cup Finals has been more of a "Who's That?"
In fact, in the 2010 playoffs, Marc-Andre Fleury will be the only starting goalie who has actually reached the finals within the last five years.
On Tuesday night in Washington, Brian Elliott's Ottawa Senators beat the Washington Capitals 5-4 in an overtime game that featured offense from stars like Jason Spezza, Alexander Semin and Alex Kovalev.
In his post-game interview with the media Elliott said, "It wasn't my best game. But it shows we are becoming a good team when a goalie doesn't have his A-game and we can still pull out a win."
His comment may as well be posted on the locker room wall of about 15 teams heading into this year's playoffs.
The others have either faded into obscurity (Khabibulin/Emery/Roloson), are playing for a non-playoff team (Kiprusoff/Ward/Giguere) or have been pushed out of their starting job (Osgood).
The lack of a dominant set of goaltenders is exactly why the Capitals and Blackhawks could conceivably meet in a Stanley Cup Finals, pitting former Habs castoffs Jose Theodore against Cristobal Huet. It's the type of matchup that would have Jacques Plante rolling in his grave.
But this is the reality of the new NHL. Almost half the teams will march into the playoffs with goaltenders with ZERO playoff experience under their belt.
And the other goalies with more impressive resumes also come into the 2010 post-season with legitimate question marks. A sampling:
Martin Brodeur: The Devils have lost three playoff series in a row and Brodeur has a 5-12 record in those games.
Roberto Luongo: Despite his gold medal performance, he has never advanced beyond the second round of the NHL playoffs in his career.
Evgeni Nabokov: Posted a .890 save percentage in last year's first-round playoff exit and looked terrible under pressure at Olympics.
Marc-Andre Fleury: Will enter the post-season with rather ordinary numbers during the regular season, including a save percentage that ranks 30th amongst NHL goalies.
About the only goalie who is bullet-proof to criticism is Ryan Miller, who is having an MVP-calibre season and has back-stopped Buffalo to the conference finals in each of his last two playoff appearances.
But here's the funny thing: Ask fans of the Ottawa Senators or Montreal Canadiens about their preferred first-round matchup and almost all of them would choose the Sabres.
The feeling amongst those fans is that Miller is terrific, but over the course of a seven-game series, the Sabres would not be the better team.
2010年5月9日星期日
Ovechkin reaches 50 goals for 4th time
WASHINGTON (AP) - Alex Ovechkin has NHL Jerseys joined Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy as the only players to reach at least 50 goals in four of their first five NHL seasons.
Ovechkin entered the Washington Capitals' game against the Atlanta Thrashers on Friday night with 48 goals, one behind league leader Sidney Crosby of Pittsburgh. But Ovechkin pulled even with Crosby with a goal in the second period, then got No. 50 in the third to pull ahead.
Ovechkin also had a first-period assist, helping him take over the league lead in points, too.
The Russian left wing's career high for goals in a season is 65, in 2007-08.
Washington has one more regular-season game, Sunday against Boston.
There was plenty of pregame pomp and circumstance, with NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly presenting the Capitals with the Presidents' Trophy, given to the team with the most points. Washington clinched that last weekend, and kept adding to its lead: Friday's victory was the team's fifth in a row and allowed the Capitals to tie a franchise mark with 30 home wins in a season.
During the ceremony, Ovechkin never actually touched the silver-and-glass piece signifying the best regular-season record. Indeed, it appeared that Ovechkin did not even look at the trophy.
Ovechkin entered the Washington Capitals' game against the Atlanta Thrashers on Friday night with 48 goals, one behind league leader Sidney Crosby of Pittsburgh. But Ovechkin pulled even with Crosby with a goal in the second period, then got No. 50 in the third to pull ahead.
Ovechkin also had a first-period assist, helping him take over the league lead in points, too.
The Russian left wing's career high for goals in a season is 65, in 2007-08.
Washington has one more regular-season game, Sunday against Boston.
There was plenty of pregame pomp and circumstance, with NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly presenting the Capitals with the Presidents' Trophy, given to the team with the most points. Washington clinched that last weekend, and kept adding to its lead: Friday's victory was the team's fifth in a row and allowed the Capitals to tie a franchise mark with 30 home wins in a season.
During the ceremony, Ovechkin never actually touched the silver-and-glass piece signifying the best regular-season record. Indeed, it appeared that Ovechkin did not even look at the trophy.
2010年5月7日星期五
Kariya scores 400th goal, Blues top Rangers 4-3
NEW YORK (AP) - Paul Kariya scored his 400th NHL goal soccer jerseys to snap a third-period tie and the St. Louis Blues took advantage of uncharacteristically shaky Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and beat New York 4-3 on Thursday night.
St. Louis scored four times on its first 14 shots and handed the ninth-place Rangers a key loss in their pursuit of an Eastern Conference playoff spot. New York is three points behind Boston with 11 games left.
Just 1:13 after Wade Redden got the Rangers even at 3, Kariya took a feed in front from T.J. Oshie and scored his milestone goal.
Brad Boyes and defensemen Mike Weaver and Erik Johnson also scored for the Blues, 11-44-7 at New York. Weaver's goal was his first in three years, covering 185 NHL games. Ty Conklin made 26 saves.
Redden's first in 58 games gave the Rangers brief life that Kariya quickly took away. Marian Gaborik had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Callahan also scored for New York, which has lost six of eight (2-4-2).
Lundqvist fought the puck all night. Despite putting only 10 pucks on net, St, Louis carried a 3-2 lead into the third.
Weaver tied it at 2 at 2:21 of the second after the Rangers failed to clear the puck out of their zone. Weaver let go a shot from inside the blue line that eluded Lundqvist. The New York netminder banged his stick and was still shaking his head side to side when the teams lined up for the ensuing faceoff.
The defenseman hadn't scored a goal since March 23, 2007.
Lundqvist's rough game got worse 3:24 later when Johnson sent a seemingly tame shot from the right wing boards that sneaked in between his pads during a power play.
New York held the Blues to six shots in the first period and took a 2-1 edge.
St. Louis got the jump for the second straight game. It wasn't as quick as Alex Steen's team record-tying goal 8 seconds into Tuesday's home loss to Colorado, but still fast.
Boyes staked the Blues to a 1-0 lead 1:10 in. St. Louis won a faceoff in the Rangers end and dug out the puck in the corner. It came to Boyes in the left circle and he zipped a shot over Lundqvist's glove for his 13th goal.
That was an early clue that Lundqvist lacked sharpness. About 8 minutes into the first, T.J. Oshie rang a shot off the post behind him during 4-on-4 action. Lundqvist also seemed to miss catching a rising shot that sailed wide in the second.
His best moments came during a Rangers power play in the first when he faced two breakaways. B.J. Crombeen was denied before he tripped over Lundqvist's pad and crashed awkwardly into the boards. Moments later, David Backes outraced defenseman Michal Rozsival for a loose puck. His backhander was kept out by the left post.
Olli Jokinen fired a shot from the center blue line that hit Callahan in front and caromed in to make it 1-1 at 5:52 of the first. Gaborik pushed the Rangers ahead with 2:52 left in the period when his shot hit the stick of defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo and fluttered past Conklin's glove for his 37th goal.
NOTES: The Rangers had a 5-on-3 power play for 1:17 of the third after consecutive delay-of-game penalties. ... St. Louis has earned 1,400 points on the road. ... The Blues are 5-4-2 in their last 11 visits to New York.
St. Louis scored four times on its first 14 shots and handed the ninth-place Rangers a key loss in their pursuit of an Eastern Conference playoff spot. New York is three points behind Boston with 11 games left.
Just 1:13 after Wade Redden got the Rangers even at 3, Kariya took a feed in front from T.J. Oshie and scored his milestone goal.
Brad Boyes and defensemen Mike Weaver and Erik Johnson also scored for the Blues, 11-44-7 at New York. Weaver's goal was his first in three years, covering 185 NHL games. Ty Conklin made 26 saves.
Redden's first in 58 games gave the Rangers brief life that Kariya quickly took away. Marian Gaborik had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Callahan also scored for New York, which has lost six of eight (2-4-2).
Lundqvist fought the puck all night. Despite putting only 10 pucks on net, St, Louis carried a 3-2 lead into the third.
Weaver tied it at 2 at 2:21 of the second after the Rangers failed to clear the puck out of their zone. Weaver let go a shot from inside the blue line that eluded Lundqvist. The New York netminder banged his stick and was still shaking his head side to side when the teams lined up for the ensuing faceoff.
The defenseman hadn't scored a goal since March 23, 2007.
Lundqvist's rough game got worse 3:24 later when Johnson sent a seemingly tame shot from the right wing boards that sneaked in between his pads during a power play.
New York held the Blues to six shots in the first period and took a 2-1 edge.
St. Louis got the jump for the second straight game. It wasn't as quick as Alex Steen's team record-tying goal 8 seconds into Tuesday's home loss to Colorado, but still fast.
Boyes staked the Blues to a 1-0 lead 1:10 in. St. Louis won a faceoff in the Rangers end and dug out the puck in the corner. It came to Boyes in the left circle and he zipped a shot over Lundqvist's glove for his 13th goal.
That was an early clue that Lundqvist lacked sharpness. About 8 minutes into the first, T.J. Oshie rang a shot off the post behind him during 4-on-4 action. Lundqvist also seemed to miss catching a rising shot that sailed wide in the second.
His best moments came during a Rangers power play in the first when he faced two breakaways. B.J. Crombeen was denied before he tripped over Lundqvist's pad and crashed awkwardly into the boards. Moments later, David Backes outraced defenseman Michal Rozsival for a loose puck. His backhander was kept out by the left post.
Olli Jokinen fired a shot from the center blue line that hit Callahan in front and caromed in to make it 1-1 at 5:52 of the first. Gaborik pushed the Rangers ahead with 2:52 left in the period when his shot hit the stick of defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo and fluttered past Conklin's glove for his 37th goal.
NOTES: The Rangers had a 5-on-3 power play for 1:17 of the third after consecutive delay-of-game penalties. ... St. Louis has earned 1,400 points on the road. ... The Blues are 5-4-2 in their last 11 visits to New York.
2010年5月6日星期四
Devils beat Canadiens, clinch playoff berth
MONTREAL (AP) - Patrik Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner had power-play goals and Dainius Zubrus also scored for the New Jersey Devils, soccer jerseys who clinched their 13th straight playoff berth with a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
Martin Brodeur made 25 saves for his 41st victory of the season and New Jersey's 44th.
Brian Rolston recorded his 700th career point when he scored into an empty net at 19:50.
The Devils, who have won four straight in Montreal, moved into a tie with Pittsburgh for first place in the Atlantic Division with 93 points.
New Jersey, which snapped a four-game losing streak on the road, holds the edge for second place overall in the Eastern Conference with one more win than the Penguins. The Devils have eight games remaining, including Sunday in Philadelphia. Pittsburgh has seven games left.
Andrei Kostitsyn had a goal and an assist, and Tomas Plekanec also scored for the Canadiens, who are sixth in the East with 82 points _ two ahead of Philadelphia and Boston.
Jaroslav Halak stopped 22 shots. Mike Cammalleri had two assists for his first points in three games since returning from a broken leg that sidelined him for 17 games.
Elias scored his 15th goal during New Jersey's 4-on-3 advantage 8:11 in for the only goal of the opening period. Travis Zajac assisted on the goal for his 200th NHL point.
Langenbrunner gave the Devils a 2-0 lead with another power-play goal 1:59 into the second. The New Jersey captain spun around to get to the puck after Ilya Kovalchuk's point shot failed to get through and drove a slap shot past Halak from the slot.
Former Devils center Scott Gomez earned his 43rd assist as he helped draw Montreal within 2-1 when he fed the puck to Kostitsyn, who snapped a shot past Brodeur for his 15th goal.
Zubrus, who played for Montreal from 1999-2001, restored New Jersey's two-goal advantage at 15:19 when he deflected in Paul Martin's shot for his eighth goal.
Kostitsyn helped get the Canadiens back within one 1:30 later when he banked a centering pass in off Plekanec's right skate.
NOTES: Brodeur has 38 wins, 16 losses and five ties against the Canadiens. ... Devils LW Andrew Peters didn't make the trip. Peters had his eye scratched during a fight with New York Rangers enforcer Jody Shelley on Thursday. ... D Anssi Salmela, D Mark Fraser, LW Jay Pandolfo and LW Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond were healthy scratches for New Jersey. ... Montreal C Glen Metropolit left the game midway through the first. He sustained an upper body injury on his second shift and didn't return.
Martin Brodeur made 25 saves for his 41st victory of the season and New Jersey's 44th.
Brian Rolston recorded his 700th career point when he scored into an empty net at 19:50.
The Devils, who have won four straight in Montreal, moved into a tie with Pittsburgh for first place in the Atlantic Division with 93 points.
New Jersey, which snapped a four-game losing streak on the road, holds the edge for second place overall in the Eastern Conference with one more win than the Penguins. The Devils have eight games remaining, including Sunday in Philadelphia. Pittsburgh has seven games left.
Andrei Kostitsyn had a goal and an assist, and Tomas Plekanec also scored for the Canadiens, who are sixth in the East with 82 points _ two ahead of Philadelphia and Boston.
Jaroslav Halak stopped 22 shots. Mike Cammalleri had two assists for his first points in three games since returning from a broken leg that sidelined him for 17 games.
Elias scored his 15th goal during New Jersey's 4-on-3 advantage 8:11 in for the only goal of the opening period. Travis Zajac assisted on the goal for his 200th NHL point.
Langenbrunner gave the Devils a 2-0 lead with another power-play goal 1:59 into the second. The New Jersey captain spun around to get to the puck after Ilya Kovalchuk's point shot failed to get through and drove a slap shot past Halak from the slot.
Former Devils center Scott Gomez earned his 43rd assist as he helped draw Montreal within 2-1 when he fed the puck to Kostitsyn, who snapped a shot past Brodeur for his 15th goal.
Zubrus, who played for Montreal from 1999-2001, restored New Jersey's two-goal advantage at 15:19 when he deflected in Paul Martin's shot for his eighth goal.
Kostitsyn helped get the Canadiens back within one 1:30 later when he banked a centering pass in off Plekanec's right skate.
NOTES: Brodeur has 38 wins, 16 losses and five ties against the Canadiens. ... Devils LW Andrew Peters didn't make the trip. Peters had his eye scratched during a fight with New York Rangers enforcer Jody Shelley on Thursday. ... D Anssi Salmela, D Mark Fraser, LW Jay Pandolfo and LW Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond were healthy scratches for New Jersey. ... Montreal C Glen Metropolit left the game midway through the first. He sustained an upper body injury on his second shift and didn't return.
订阅：
博文 (Atom)